Time Does Not Fly
by NinjaNovelist
Summary: Christmas is coming, but the Doctor puts his search on hold when he notices something very odd about a seemingly ordinary American grocery store. He and Clara befriend a young cashier there, and rescuing her from her boredom the three work to solve the mysterious time paradox that had been festering right under the girl's nose all along. Spoilers for the 50th anniversary special
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: Nope, still working on it.**

_Bee-Boop._

_Bee-Boop._

_Bee-Boop._

A girl stands with legs numbed stiff from sheer lack of mobility as that ugly noise sounds in her ear over... and over... and over once again. She is almost sure that the sound comes straight from her nightmares. No, not even that, for those at least bring exhilaration in the moment and make interesting stories to laugh about come morning. This kind of nightmare is infinitely worse, for it is just so monotonous that even her own utterly unexciting life would be an improvement.

But unfortunately this is not just a bad dream to be awoken from, so with a sigh the girl grabs the next item on the belt (canned beans, of _course _the most boring food the earth has to offer) and passes it through her register.

_Bee-Boop._

She tosses it into the bag and moves on to the next thing.

_Bee-Boop._

Surely her shift is almost over.

_Bee-Boop._

It's been what? Two hours? Three?

_Bee-Boop._

It must be. Soon she'll be able to go home, change into the most unflattering and comfortable pajamas she owns, and curl up on her sofa to watch television and forget that there's a world out there for a bit.

After a brief but intense inner duel, she dares glance at the clock.

Eight and half minutes.

Only two hundred thirty-one and a half to go.

_Bee-Boop._

She could scream.

But instead she bites her tongue and forces a small smile at her customer, who in turn demands that she ring his frozen pizza in for two dollars off.

The smile remains perfectly in place as the girl carries out his request, continually reminding herself of her training and that _the customer is always right, even when he's being an arsehole._

That last bit she had added in herself, not that she'd ever be brave enough to admit it to her boss.

When the guy grudgingly pays and finally leaves her register, the next one in line quickly takes his place. Had the girl been paying attention beyond her blank stare of perpetual boredom, she would have found this man to be slightly out of place. It wasn't just the physics-defying hair, or the clothing that implied he had just stumbled out of a Dickens novel. It was his smile; one of unabashed excitement as he peered about the place like adventure was just around the corner, somewhere among grumpy customers and zombified workers, tacky Christmas decorations and that _awful _holiday tune about a hippopotamus.

It was this childlike grin that made the cashier take a second look, which then grew impossibly larger as he spoke four simple words that would change her life for good.

"Hello," he said, straightening his bow tie before thrusting out a hand. "I'm the Doctor."

**Can you tell I work in a grocery store?**

**This story takes place between the 50th special and the Christmas special, and I plan to have the whole thing out by the time it airs. Updates will be twice a week if all goes well. Hope you like it thus far!**


	2. Getting to Know You

**Just so you're aware, updates will generally be Thursdays and Sundays. Hopefully. Fingers crossed.**

**Hahaha I kid. Enjoy!**

The girl stares stupidly at his hand, still outstretched waitingly. Most of her customers are politely disinterested at best, at worst in dire need of an exorcism. Though there is the rare gem that's truly friendly, none have gone so out of their way to demonstrate as much.

"Can I help you with anything, sir?" she asks.

The Doctor retracts his hand, but does not look any more put out than before. "Oh I very much believe you can..." the statement drags as he glances down at her nametag. "Laurie."

She knows the tag is there, so customers can flag her down to complain or treat her like they're old buddies during the entire three minutes that they spend together. But for whatever reason it doesn't feel out of place to have this man say it, even though they've only just met moments ago.

It's at that moment that a young woman comes up next to the Doctor with an armful of merchandise. "I've got just about every kind of tea you could imagine, plus a few more," she says as she drops them on the belt. Laurie sets to work automatically. "We've got a pretty long night ahead of us, but can't we get all this already on the TAR-"

"Small change in plans," the Doctor says quickly. It's not until then that Laurie realizes that he's speaking in a British accent. "Clara, meet Laurie. Laurie, Clara."

Clara turns to the cashier with a warm, sympathizing smile. "Pleasure. I worked in a store once when I was your age. I'm so sorry."

"Why are you sorry? Look at how cool this stuff is!" The Doctor sets a large palm flat on the belt, which moves it along until the censor brings it to a halt. "It's magic, but sciency!"

Laurie can't help but grin at the memory of having a similar conversation with a six-year-old earlier that day.

She had finished ringing up the tea, but the Doctor starts looking about for more things to put on the magic belt. Much to Clara's chagrin, his eyes fall on the candy shelf.

"So Laurie," he begins as he piles chocolate bar after chocolate bar onto the belt. "Do you like it here?"

Whenever someone asks her that, she usually pulls out her fakest smile and gives the company-devised response. But somehow, with this man's big brown eyes staring right back at her, she can't bring herself to be anything but honest.

"No."

"And why is that?" he continues as he moves on to the bubblegum.

Laurie eyes the man's nice, albeit odd, clothing before returning her gaze to the register. "You wouldn't understand."

"I think you'll find that I can understand a lot more than you would think," the Doctor counters.

"Not with this," Clara answers flatly. "You've never worked a day in your life."

"Oy!" the Doctor cries, rounding on his friend. " I have a desk job now. Still working on the desk bit of it, but regardless-"

"Excuse me, mind if I interrupt this social call?"

Three heads snap over to face the intruder, a portly man with what looked like a dead squirrel on his lip and a frown to match.

Laurie's entire body clenches up immediately. "Something the matter, Mr. Carlson?"

"Surprisingly, yes," he replies drily as he turned all his attention to his employee. "In case you haven't noticed, you're on express tonight."

"Express?" the Doctor asks, puzzled.

With an exaggerated huff, the manager leans over and taps the sign clearly marked on the post: _EXPRESS LANE- 10 ITEMS OR LESS_, then gestures first at the sizable order Clara and the Doctor had made for themselves, then at the half dozen people tapping their feet in line behind them with poorly hidden impatience.

Laurie's face blanches. "I'm so sorry. I was just-"

"Save it, Demurs," Carlson butts in. "Just finish the order and get back to work."

The girl opens her mouth to reply, but nothing comes out. Then her eyes shift downward, and her reply is so quiet it could hardly be heard at all. "Yes, sir"

The man nods curtly and heads back to his position at the store's front, and the eyes of both Clara and the Doctor follow him with matching glares.

"Seems like a right joy," Clara comments.

Laurie nods, eyes still glued to the register. "Will you be paying with debit or credit? Your total is $74.01."

"For some tea and a few candy bars?" Clara exclaims.

The Doctor coughs, laughing nervously. "It might have been more than just a few..."

Clara turns sharply towards the cleaned out candy display, then puts a hand to her nose like a mother on her last nerve. "Doctor-"

"Fancy making a gingerbread house? Or twelve? Maybe a perfectly scaled replica of Buckingham Palace?"

Even as she rolls her eyes, a fond smile manages an escape. "Guess I'll pay then, seeing as you don't have a _real_ job with a _real_ salary."

The Doctor grins and pulls his friend into his side. "Bless you, Clara Oswald. I owe you my life."

"Lives," she corrects with no lack of satisfaction as she fishes her wallet from her purse.

Laurie stares at them curiously as they joke, and when the Doctor turns back to look at her she is surprised that he holds the same expression. "So back to what we were saying. Is it the management?"

"Not just that," Laurie explains. "Mostly just the work itself. It's so _boring,_ and my shift always drags on forever. It's like- like..."

"Like it feels as though it's been eons, but in reality only a few minutes?" the Doctor finishes.

Laurie nods. "Exactly."

The strange alien of a man returns the nod, still gazing intently at her. She's just about to ask why when the world is thrown into chaos.

The entire store lurches, forcing everyone to wobble precariously and more than a few to collapse on the ground. Items rain down from the shelves to burst open, and many a shopping cart make a breakaway from their owners.

Laurie just barely stays aright by grabbing the counter before her, but the Doctor is not so lucky. His skinny legs seem hardly able to support the weight they've been burdened to carry as it is, so the sudden jostle sends the man sprawling and taking Clara down along with him.

Even when the shaking stops, Laurie's hands remain firmly locked to steady her racing heart and somersaulting stomach. "What... the hell was that?"

The Doctor leaps up from nowhere, some strange techy-looking tool at the ready. "A problem."

Just as Clara finally manages to drag herself back to her feet, he grabs her hand and yanks her away to investigate.

For one eternal moment Laurie stands where she is, at a loss of what to do next. Then the Doctor pops back into her line of vision.

"You coming or what?"

Laurie swallows heavily, looking first to her right, then her left. The store was in total pandemonium, workers and customers alike running every which way as they tried to make sense of their current situation.

Surely no one would miss one unimportant little store clerk.

Without another thought, Laurie flips her register light off, slaps the cheery _Sorry, we're closed_ sign onto the belt, and sets off to follow the Doctor.


	3. Time is of the Essence

**Yeah, yeah, I'm late, I'm a terrible person, etc. But seriously, I am sorry, but ya know. Life happens. Next update may be a bit delayed as a result. But here ya go!**

"Doctor!" Laurie cries, huffing to catch up with the man's speeding pace. "Doctor, could you please tell me what's going on?"

"What does it look like?" he says without glancing back. "We're saving the day! Like superheroes, but better dressed."

Laurie's eyes flit to his billowing plum overcoat and decides not to comment. "But from what? It was just a little earthquake or something. A natural disaster."

The Doctor stops so fast that both she and Clara ram into him. He then turns on the spot and looks Laurie square in the eye, his expression as far in the opposite direction from the earlier boyish grin as it could get.

"Whatever that was," he states. "It was anything but natural."

Circling around to her back, he grasps the girl by the shoulders and leads her to the nearest window. "Tell me, Laurie Demurs, does this look natural?"

Laurie squints in the sunlight as she looks at the bustling parking lot, trying and far from succeeding in finding anything out of the ordinary. "Yes."

"My point exactly," the Doctor says. "Any signs of an earthquake?"

It all clicks in a heartbeat. Everything and everyone is in perfect order, not even aware that anything had happened to the grocery store just before them.

Laurie twirls around to face the Doctor. "Explain."

"Gladly." The Doctor claps his hands together and begins pacing. "How was it that you described working here?"

"Boring and exhausting, feels like it will never end," Laurie says.

"And would you say that's gotten worse of late?"

Laurie ponders this for a moment. "Actually, yeah. Probably because of the holidays, people being even more crabby and demanding than usual."

"Ah, that's just what they want you to think," the Doctor declares.

"Who?" Clara asks.

"Absolutely no idea. But I do know this." The Doctor steps forward and gets so close to Laurie that his breath tickles her cheek. "What you've been experiencing is not your imagination."

Normally Laurie would shy away from such close proximity with someone else, but instead she holds her gaze. "What do you mean?"

The Doctor turns his back and resumes his pacing. "Time is not what you think it is. It's not simply an abstract concept, but a physical substance that can be caught, released, used, even traveled in."

"Like with the Weeping Angels?" Clara asks. "I can remember those. Sort of."

"Exactly," says the Doctor. "The Angels use time as a food source, usurping it from the stolen years of others. Time can literally fly, as the saying goes, but in here it is dragging by far more slowly than it should."

Laurie's face grows more puzzled with each gradually passing moment, and when the Doctor at last takes notice of this, he glances around the aisles in search of something to illustrate his point.

Suddenly he breaks into a sprint and grabs a giant bubble wand, ripping it open as he talks. "Sorry about this, I promise I'll pay for it. And by 'I', I mean Clara."

"Oy!"

"You would have offered anyway! Just saving time. Regardless..." at last freeing the wand from its confinement, he uncorks it and blows a rather large bubble up.

"Imagine the store being in here," the Doctor says, pointing at the bubble as it floats about aimlessly. "There's a kind of barrier around it, distorting the passage of time within as the outside remains undisturbed."

"How can you tell?" Laurie asks.

Fishing something out of his pocket, he answers simply, "Because I can see it."

He ignores Laurie's look of surprise and takes out his odd-looking tool. "As people go in, they are essentially traveling back in time, and as they leave they go forward again to synch up their timelines, and no one is ever the wiser. But that time in between, while in the store, all that time energy they could've used doing other things... it has to go somewhere."

He raises his tool and presses a button to make it light up, and to Laurie's shock the bubble grows all on its own."The more people who pass in and out, the more their wasted energy adds to the barrier. That's what's causing the place to shake. Repercussions, like the ripples you cause when you dip your toe in the water. And before long the pressure will build up, and-"

The Doctor prods the bubble with his tool, forcing it to burst.

"What happens then?" Clara asks.

"I don't know," the Doctor remarks. "But I'd prefer not to find out."

Laurie stares into space, fighting to absorb all this knowledge. "So in here, time... is a bubble."

"_Well_," the Doctor flips his little doohickey in the air and catches again. "It's more like a big ball-"

"It's a bubble," Clara states firmly.

The Doctor looks like he's about to argue, but when he is shot with Clara's disarming glare, he quickly says, "Okay, it's a _bubble_. Either way, what we need to do now is search for the source of the issue Could be anywhere in the store, so we need to hurry or else we won't have enough time."

"Or too much," Clara comments.

They both begin to move forward again, leaving Laurie with a mountain of information to take in all at once. Then without thinking, she blurts out, "Who are you?"

The man comes to an abrupt halt, and it is a long moment before he slowly turns back around to study what must be a mix of disbelief, fear, and fascination on Laurie's face, because that's just how she's feeling. Then he smiles softly, recognizing the look like an old friend.

"I'm the Doctor," he says. "Exactly what it says on the tin."

**So... this make sense? Yes? Not really? Mind aching from all this nonsensical rubbish (heehee, rubbish. Makes me feel so British)? Lemme know!**


	4. Step Right in the Doctor's Office

In the bits between dodging frantic customers and bracing themselves against the occasional earthquake that isn't really an earthquake ("timequake" as the Doctor dubbed it), the three tear through aisle after aisle in search of any evidence of what they're looking for.

"Doctor," Clara says as she inspects a box of cereal in the breakfast aisle. "I feel this would be a tad more productive if we knew what we're actually looking for."

"Just keep your eyes open for anything out of the ordinary," the Doctor answers. "Hopefully that will lead us to the source of the rest of this chaos."

Laurie is quiet throughout all this as she scans the shelves with a practiced eye. On impulse she starts to straighten the protein bars, and after a time the Doctor begins watching her with that same curious gaze he always has when he looks at her.

"So Laurie," he starts. "If you're so unhappy here, why do you stay?"

The young girl glances at him briefly. "Doe it matter?"

"Just making conversation," he says with a shrug.

She stares for a moment, silently studying him before turning back to her work."I need the money. You know, gas and things like that, and next year I'll have to worry about college payments, too." She gives a short, hard snort. "Some of us don't have a friend willing to pay for all our sugar cravings."

"But can't you get a job somewhere else?"

"I guess," Laurie tells him. "But I was lucky enough to land this one. Not like anyone else would take a risk on me."

The Doctor whips around to face her fully. "Laurie Demurs, what on this planet and beyond are you going on about?"

Laurie responds by pretending to look deeply intrigued by the box of oatmeal in her hands, but the Doctor's intense gaze refuses to waver. It is several minutes before she sighs, drags her bushy hair out of her face, and speaks.

"I can't do anything right. Not just here, mind you, but wherever I go. Whether it be in school, at home, or with friends, I always manage to screw up. I'll say or do something so immensely stupid, and then I have no idea how to set it right again. No one is ever outright mean to me... usually, at least, but no matter what I always feel so _alone_. Do you have any idea what that's like?"

Out of the corner of her eye, she catches the Doctor's eyes soften with every word of Laurie confessing her problems as never before.

"As a matter of fact," he says. "I do."

Suddenly there's another lurch, and the whole store goes berserk once again. The Doctor grabs Laurie and shields her as best he can from the torrent of falling breakfast items. Even when the shaking stops he continues to hold her tight.

"Clara!" the Doctor cries. "You alright?"

"Don't mind me," came the muffled reply. "Just buried in a mountain of waffles, nothing to worry about."

"Well hurry up and get yourself out," the Doctor says as he at last lets go of Laurie and starts for the next aisle. "We don't have much time, ironically enough. The ripples are getting closer, like the contractions a woman goes through before-" all at once his face flushes bright pink. "Well, you know."

When the perfect opportunity drops from heaven at your feet, it would be blatantly sinful pass it up.

"Before what, Doctor?" Laurie asks, batting her eyes in the very picture of angelic innocence.

The Doctor scratches his ear, eyes darting in every direction for a possible escape route. When his friend at last catches up with them, the relief on his face could not be hidden if he tried.

"Clara! Lovely to see your lovely face again. Oh I said lovely twice, didn't I? How funny. Well then! Let's get a move on, shall we?"

He very eagerly strides forward again, leaving a very puzzled Clara to look to Laurie for answers.

The girl in question shrugs, fighting to hold back a devilish grin. "The Doctor was just explaining to me how the grocery store is going into labor."

"What?"

But Laurie only giggles. "Never mind."

**Yeah... I'm a strange person. Oh well, not much you can do about that, not even four psychiatrists. *twitches* Short chapter, I know, but next update will be Thursday at the latest. **


	5. Do You Need a Doctor for that Burn?

**Only a day late! Believe me, I've done much worse. You should be proud.**

**By the way, I apologize for the horribly cheesy, generic chapter titles. I have no excuses. You may punish me to the fullest extent of the law (get it? PUNish... okay I'm done now).**

The more they work the more frantic the Doctor gets, whirling around like a human cyclone. He tears through packaging like gift wrap on Christmas morning, giving the ruined merchandise barely a glance before tossing it behind in disgust and moving on.

But if he's a cyclone, the others around him are complete typhoons. They push through the trio like flimsy palm trees, throwing whatever they can into their carts and disappearing before anyone can blink.

"What in the stars are these people doing?" Clara asks.

Laurie looks on with not a hint of surprise. "When facing a crisis, what's the first thing you do? Stock up and wait it out."

In the midst of scanning the closest shelf, the Doctor scoffs. "Typical."

Laurie pulls to a standstill right there, not moving an atom apart from one neatly raised eyebrow. "Pardon?"

"Oh nothing, nothing at all." The Doctor rolls out an embittered chuckle as he clears an entire row to get to the back wall. "Just you humans. How _precious_."

Laurie crosses her arms and bites back a snappy retort, and in her irritation files away the oddness of his comment for later. "And what do you mean by that?"

Still only half-listening, he says, "Only that these people have been handed the one piece of excitement they're likely to find in their puny lives, and they choose to hole it up in the safety of their homes until the chance is gone."

"Doctor-" Clara warns upon sight of Laurie's stiff posture and clenched fists, but the man is on a roll.

"You all have so much potential, all this wonder and thirst for adventure. Just look at your television shows. You could do all that yourselves if you _really _wanted it, put your mind to it. Instead you settle for hunting through shops for the best deal and getting a low-end cashier's salary."

And that's all it takes.

Three long strides and Laurie is right in his face, noticeably shorter but a mighty deal more intimidating.

"Who do think you are, popping in from nowhere just to insult us?"she demands, though not sure why she's all of a sudden so defensive a place she hates. "Think you're so much better just because you've got your little desk job? Well there a few things I've learned in the working world that you will _never _understand."

She raises a fist, and it almost looks like she's about to throw a punch when she begins lifting her fingers one by one, ticking off points from a list. "I could walk this place blindfolded and put any item just where it belongs. I can weigh a pile of bills in one hand and say exactly how many there are. I know the code of almost every fruit and vegetable. Bananas: 4011. Granny Smiths: 4017. Organic Zucchini: 94067."

The Doctor, who at this point looks ready to sink into the wall, suddenly opens his mouth to interject but is silenced by one warning glare from Laurie. It's her turn to have a say now, pour out everything that had been on her mind ever since she got this job.

"I can deal with the worst customer of the century with a smile and still wish them a good day. I can endure the cynicism and unpleasantness that is my boss and not shed a tear until I get home. _And_ I can be bored without completely losing my mind, needing to do something every second of the day. How about you, Doctor?"

The man remains speechless for once, no doubt wondering how this could be the same quiet little girl he had met that morning.

"Since you clearly think you're so clever, go figure out this mess on your own." And with that, Laurie stalks off.

The Doctor opened his mouth to shout after her, but nothing could manage to squeeze past his throat, so he ended up closing it stupidly again.

Clara glares at him crossly. "You've really buggered it up this time."

The Doctor nods. Even an alien genius can't deny that. "I should talk to her..."

"I think you've done enough as it is," she replies, a bit sharply. Then with a sigh, she begins making her way after Laurie. She leaves the Doctor on his own, no further in his investigation than before, the only thing to show for it being yet another person that he's hurt in the process.

**Yes, I can do a number of the things Laurie listed. Yes, it is pathetic.**

**Oh and I'm sorry if the shortness of chapters bug you. Just trying to get the updates out quickly.**


	6. A Friendly Chat

**Hey, remember me? Yeaaaaah, uh... first Christmas and crap got in the way, then I was just too lazy to update. I sincerely apologize.**

**Oh, and about the Christmas special... let's not talk about it. Ever (because FEELS).**

She could just leave, she knows. Walk out the doors and never have to deal with the bow tie man ever again. She can't bring herself to do that somehow, but there's no way in hell she's crawling back to the Doctor right now, so the compromise is to curl up beneath the deli counter and twirl a stray piece of merchandise in her hands, willing herself to stay angry at him.

But if Laurie's honest, she's mostly just angry with herself. As big-mouthed and haughty as the the Doctor had just been, she's dealt with far worse in the pass and she's never stood up to herself like that. She's loathe to admit it, but there's something about this man that makes her inexplicably braver, but even now she can feel her courage draining once again. Will she ever be able to do that without the Doctor perched on her shoulder like some fallen angel?

"Mind if I join you?"

Laurie looks up to meet kind eyes and an understanding smile, and she nods her head. Clara ducks down to face opposite her under the counter, their knees knocking together as the young woman takes a moment to look at her.

"Sorry about him," she starts. "He can be a rightout git at times."

Laurie doesn't miss the affectionate smile tugging at the corner of Clara's lips even as she speaks. "But..."

"_But _in every other instance he's the kindest man I've ever known. It's not his fault he's had the mood of a teenage girl lately." Clara falters as she she spares a nervous glance at Laurie. "Er, no offense."

Laurie only shrugs. "Fact of life. Continue?"

Clara sits back and looks vaguely upward. "Like I said, he's not to blame. Well not completely, anyway. He's just... homesick."

Laurie cocks a puzzled head. "Then why doesn't he just fly back across the pond and-"

"That's not his home," Clara explains sadly. "Where he's from is a bit more tricky to get to." Before Laurie can prod further, Clara goes on. "He loves us humans, he really does. But under the skin he's an old man, Laurie, and sometimes I think we remind him of what he's lost. His home, a line of friends and family and loves..."

Laurie nods, at last understanding. "No place like home." Then her face splits into a grin. "Has he tried clicking his heels three times?"

Clara laughs. "We'd need some sparkly red heels first. It'd go great with his fashion sense."

Laurie giggles alongside her, but inside she still hesitates. The Doctor might have some baggage, but so does everyone, and it certainly doesn't excuse him for his behavior. It'll take a lot more than that to get her to-

A sudden crash jolts both girls from their seats. With a quick exchange of confused glances, they scramble from their hiding spot to investigate.

"Doctor, if this is your way of apologizing it isn't working," Clara calls out.

Laurie looks everywhere for a hint of that floppy hair or purple overcoat, set more and more on the edge the longer she doesn't find either. Then, in possibly the biggest mistake of her life, she turns her back. Couldn't have been much more than a second, maybe two, but then a sudden crack and puff whips Laurie around again. Her only comrade is a wisp of smoke trailing to the ceiling.

"Clara?"


End file.
